Nine Star Hegemon Body Arts

An ancient sect stood in front of them. Though not particularly large, the weathered buildings exuded an air of grandeur that had withstood countless years.

Now, however, the sect was in ruins. Corpses littered the ground, some human, others belonging to devil creatures. The most unsettling sight was a massive claw imprinted deeply into the earth, marking the devastation. It was this single claw strike that had obliterated the whole sect and its enemies.

The ground where the claw had struck had transformed into stone of unparalleled toughness, impervious to blade or spear.

After studying the giant claw mark, Yue Zifeng said, “It seems this sect was locked in battle with the devil creatures when a single claw attack annihilated them all.”

“Senior apprentice-brother Long Chen, all the corpses here are so strange. They are as hard as rock,” said one of the disciples, holding up the body of a devil creature.

The creature was a towering nine-foot figure with six arms, its scaled body radiating an aura of immense power. Judging by its aura, it was a Human Emperor-level creature.

Even in death, its face was contorted in terror, as if it had seen something truly horrifying right before dying. Strangely, there was not a single wound on it. Its hardened body bore rock-like veins, and its scales now gleamed with a crystalline texture.

A disciple struck it with their weapon, producing a metallic clang. The sound confirmed that this was no longer a body of flesh and blood. As everyone examined the other corpses, they discovered the same phenomenon, leaving everyone uneasy.

“Senior, what do you think?” Long Chen asked Feng Xinyue, presenting her with the devil creature’s petrified body. The strange transformation puzzled him. He had never seen such a weird thing before.

Long Chen frowned. “There’s a potent earth energy within them. Based on the claw imprint, it likely came from a giant lizard-type demonic beast. However, the attacker’s control over their energy was extraordinary, leaving no trace of their bloodline power. Without that clue, I can’t determine their race.”

Nodding with acknowledgment, Feng Xinyue said, “As expected of the youngest dean in the High Firmament Academy’s history. Your deduction is accurate. This is a variant of earth energy known as crystal energy.

Feng Xinyue paused before continuing, “You know that oftentimes words do not accurately convey the right meaning. People call it the crystal element because it originates from the Blood Crystal Demon Lizard race, a species from the primal chaos era. Legends suggest they share ancestry with the Yellow Springs Blood Crocodile, but their origins remain shrouded in mystery.

“The Blood Crystal Demon Lizard is a very unique race. Their bloodline doesn’t reside within their bodies. Instead, it condenses into crystalline lumps on their skin. From a distance, it looks like they’re wearing crystalline armor.

“This unique mutation allows them to conceal their bloodline power entirely. Once they unleash an attack, their bloodline power returns to the crystals. This is an extremely rare ability. At the very least, the only lifeform I know of with this ability is the Blood Crystal Demon Lizard.”

“Their bloodline power returns to them after they attack? Doesn’t that make them virtually inexhaustible in battle?” asked Tang Wan-er, her eyes wide with disbelief.

Feng Xinyue chuckled. “Not entirely endless, but their endurance is astonishing. They expend only minimal energy, enabling them to sustain combat for an irritatingly long time. They are, without a doubt, a nightmare to contend with.”

Everyone’s faces grew grim as they absorbed this information. The Blood Crystal Demon Lizards already possessed such terrifying power and they also had ridiculous endurance? What kind of heaven-defying race was this?

“Are they part of the demon race?” asked Long Chen.

“Yes.”

“Then is their power source their Neidan or their crystals?” Long Chen pressed.

Feng Xinyue’s lips curved into a knowing smile. “Why? Have you set your sights on them?”

With a grin, Long Chen said, “Yes, I have two earth element brothers in my Dragonblood Legion. If they could acquire this creature’s core runes, they might have a chance to gain its abilities.”

In truth, Long Chen had thought of Li Qi and Song Mingyuan the moment he saw the devastation.. Thanks to their defense, they were the strongest shield of the Dragonblood Legion, but their attacks indeed lacked some sharpness. In terms of pure offensive power, they were definitely the weakest of the four captains.

Even though Guo Ran had made special divine weapons for them, their offensive prowess was still lacking. After all, the earth element was based on heaviness and endurance, resulting in them being excessively skilled in defense over offense.

With their Spirit Roots fully attuned to earth energy, altering their fundamental nature was impossible, even for Long Chen. However, the Blood Crystal Demon Lizard’s power presented a unique opportunity.

Long Chen’s eyes lit up. If either of them could inherit this ability, their combined defense and offense would form a near-perfect synergy, strengthening the Dragonblood Legion even more. ᚱ

Hearing that Long Chen had set his sights on the Blood Crystal Demon Lizards, the Wind God Sea Pavilion’s disciples felt a chill. That look in his eyes was particularly chilling.

Feng Xinyue’s expression turned serious. “The Blood Crystal Demon Lizard’s core runes are contained within their blood crystals. However, once removed from the body, these core runes enter a dormant state and disintegrate after some time. It would be hard to extract them.”

“How long will it take for the core runes to disintegrate?” asked Long Chen.

“I heard that it would take a few months, but I’m not sure of the exact number,” replied Feng Xinyue after a moment’s thought.

“A few months? Hehe, that’s plenty of time,” Long Chen said, his confidence unwavering.

In any case, extracting the Blood Crystal Demon Lizards’ core runes wasn’t difficult for Long Chen thanks to the existence of the Heavenly Dao Tree. As long as he could kill them, he would obtain their power.

Although Long Chen had the Seven Treasure Colored Glass Tree, which would allow Li Qi and Song Mingyuan to develop their own ways of using this energy if they meditated beneath it, it would be much better not to waste so much time when there was a quick solution right in front of them.

With these core runes, Li Qi and Song Mingyuan could directly use this crystal energy. Furthermore, with those runes as a foundation, they could develop their own unique divine abilities more easily.

Long Chen gathered the corpses of the devil creatures. Then, with a wave of his hand, he toppled two nearby mountains to bury the sect. It was a makeshift burial, but it was better than leaving the dead to decay under the open sky.

They continued onwards. Barely two hours later, they encountered another group advancing toward them. The two sides spotted each other simultaneously.

“Well, well, well! If it isn’t the Wind God Sea Pavilion! What a coincidence!” A sinister voice echoed from the other side, and a monkey-faced elder emerged from their ranks.